Lunenburg mayor accuses businessman of assault

Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey is accusing local businessman Bill Flower of smearing sludge on her ankles, a claim he refutes. (File)

A Lunenburg-area man is facing an assault charge following a confrontation with the town’s mayor that allegedly involved sewage-contaminated water from Lunenburg harbour.

Bill Flower, who’s been an outspoken critic of Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey, said the incident took place Aug. 12 at Fishermen’s Wharf, where he operates his boat touring business.

Flower said the mayor is accusing him of smearing contaminated water on her ankles at the end of a heated exchange.

“It’s outrageous,” said Flower.

“I intend to fight this because I did not assault her. She invades my space, verbally assaults me. The morning after she says it happens she comes down to the wharf again, raises her pant legs and says the sludge caused an infection on her legs, the same stuff I handle every single day.”

He would not say whether at any point he touched Bailey.

Despite several attempts, Bailey could not be reached for comment.

Flower said he was summoned Tuesday evening to the Lunenburg RCMP detachment, where he was arrested and ordered to appear in Bridgewater provincial court in April to face an assault charge. In the meantime, he’s also ordered to have no contact with the mayor.

Bill Flower. (ANDREW RANKIN / Staff)

Flower said he believes the confrontation was retaliation for his outspoken efforts to have the town’s polluted harbour cleaned up. Flower has become especially vocal over the last few months, following test results showing fecal contamination in several areas of the harbour, particularly at Fishermen’s Wharf. His efforts to have the town’s sewage outfall moved away from the wharf and waterfront have been unsuccessful.

Flower said that on the day of the alleged assault he and his daughter arrived at the wharf at about 7:30 a.m. and found Bailey waiting for him. He said she launched into a tirade and he eventually responded with equal force.

“She accused me of not being a taxpayer, which isn’t true. She said I was against the town, that I was making the town look bad. She stuck her finger in my face, froth coming out of her mouth. I said I was a taxpayer and I bring millions of dollars’ worth of income into the municipality.

“I asked her, ‘Why are you in denial?’

“I walked her over and showed her sewage coming out of the effluent pipe into the harbour. I said, ‘How can you condone this? How can you accept this? Why are you defending it?’ By this point I was late for my passengers, so I had to leave.”

He said the mayor is alleging that while she was standing on the wharf above him, he scooped up a sludge-like mixture that had accumulated on his boat and smeared the concoction on her ankles.

He said that the next day she arrived at the wharf with an RCMP officer, her husband and two workers at the facility.

Flower said she apologized for “unbecoming conduct of a mayor.”

“I said, ‘If you have charges to press, press them or get out of my face, I’m leaving.’”

Afterward, he claimed, Bailey threatened to press assault charges if he didn’t tone down his harbour cleanup campaign.

“I won’t tone down my efforts. I did nothing wrong. I have a responsibility to try to ensure that our historic, vital harbour is kept to a decent standard.

“She can do what she wants, I’ll fight the charge. It’s unacceptable, and I won’t be intimidated by anyone.”